Chapter 228 - Insubordination

"Thirty thousand, general. That is how many troopers died for Ryloth. And I knew every single one of them. They were my brothers."

As Dageer said that, every clone in the vicinity looked at him in shock. Not because of the numbers he brought up, after all they already knew that, but because he had interrupted General Windu. Not only was he a Jedi, but he was also one of the highest-ranking ones, only under General Yoda.

Even General Windu himself seemed surprised. After five months of war, he had grown used to clones only listening and doing everything he ordered. He rarely saw one of them defy the discipline ingrained in their genetic code, like Dageer was doing now.

"I know that, and I am sorry for your loss, commander, but this is war. Losses are to be expected. What isn't expected, is a trooper being disrespectful to your superior officer, do you understand?"

"I do, sir. But with all due respect, there is no sense in sending Hell Squad away. You said yourself that we are one of the best units the Republic have."

General Windu didn't know how to answer to that statement. Hell Squad might be in a bad shape, it's armor in shambles, and it's members hurt, but it still was better than any other unit the 91st had. No matter how much he disliked having to admit it, but they really would be of great help. However, as a Jedi, he would never let a wounded person get in danger, whatsoever fight in a war.

"There will be plenty for Hell Squad to do later, commander. I understand your feelings, but you can't let yourself be overtaken by hatred and revenge. This isn't a path anyone should follow."

Dageer shook his head. Just like General Di, General Windu - or any other Jedi, for what matters - wouldn't ever understand how a clone felt. He could see Commander Ponds looking st him, shaking his head. The clone wanted him to stop before it was too late. But Dageer couldn't. He had made a promise to General Di, and he could only fulfill it by being there.

"Maybe it isn't the Jedi's way, general. But since the first clone died on Geonosis, revenge has been more than enough for any of us."

Every clone held their breath. Dageer was talking, but he didn't mean what he was saying. Or, at least, he wasn't talking to General Windu. No. He was talking about the dreams.

General Windu, of course, didn't know that. He assumed Dageer was talking about the way of the Jedis, and disrespecting him.

"Commander Dageer, you should be careful with what you say!"

"I never meant any disrespect, general. But, whether you allow it or not, Hell Squad is going to partake in this battle."

Now Dageer wasn't just being disrespectful. He was going against the orders of his superior. That was insubordination, plain and simple. General Windu was just as surprised as the troopers, and became enraged.

"You are going against the orders of a general, commander. Do you know what are the consequences of that?"

"I do, general. If you order me arrested, I won't resist. But Hell Squad has sworn to fight for the Republic. And at the moment, Ryloth is a battlefield, and a very personal one to us. So, even if you command us to go, I regret to say that we can't follow."

General Windu stared at Dageer for a long time, and the clones of the 91st tensed up, waiting for Commander Ponds to give the order to arrest Hell Squad. As much as they agreed with Dageer, if they were given the order, they would follow it.

"General?"

Commander Ponds looked at General Windu, waiting, but the Jedi gestured for him and his men to stand down. Dageer was being insubordinate and disrespectful, but none of what he said was wrong.

"Very well. If you wish to continue on this war, then I will allow it. You are, after all, soldiers. I won't hold you for your insubordination today, commander, but you better be careful next time."

"I understand, general."

"Commander Ponds, let's go. We have a city to take."

-----------------------------

Hell Squad wouldn't be part of the heavy group led by General Windu. Using AT-TEs and walkers, the 91st would carve a path to Nabat, where Wat Tambor currently was. It wouldn't be easy, but it was necessary.

Hell Squad, on the other hand, would be part of the group attacking Lessu, together with the 212th.

...

More than a week had passed, and the 212th had finally arrived in front of Lessu. General Kenobi and his legion had gone through a lot, including fighting not only clanckers, but also native predators. However, they had also accomplished much, and had not only destroyed the tactical droid responsible for Lessu's defenses, but also had freed up a bunch of Twi'lek civilians who were being forced to work as human shields.

Of course, Hell Squad hadn't been idle this whole time. Together with some troopers of both the 91st and 212th, they cleared out all clanckers around Lessu. Now, the roles had switched, and those defending the important towns were the Separatist, while the Republic was attacking.

That had both advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages were obvious. The 303rd made the droids pay a hefty price to take any of the cities, and the seppies would do everything they could to get their payback. However, the Republic had one advantage, and that was Hell Squad.

"So, Commander Dageer, what do you think are our options here?"

Hell Squad stood in front of General Kenobi. During the last few days, they had been in constant battle, earning a few scratches to their already battered armor. Now, it was almost impossible to recognize the patterns that identified each of them. The red dust of Ryloth that was glued to the armor, however, made for a camouflage better than any other.

"Well, there is the hard way and the dangerous way here, general."

General Kenobi lifted an eyebrow, and looked at Dageer. Both options seemed pretty similar and unwelcoming.

"Explain."

"The hard way is bombarding the city until we get the bridge back up. It will take time, and the clanckers won't be quiet while we do that."

"And the dangerous way?"

"I defended this city for a few days, until Tram Cholq betrayed us and let the seppies inside. I know exactly what do do and where to go to get ray bridge up and running. But, to do that, we first have to get to the city. And, the only way to do that is..."

"Climbing, right? I had a feeling you would say that. What do you think, Cody?"

The commander approached. He had a scar very similar to Dageer's, but his came from a piece of metal, not a lightsaber. Both of them were lucky to have survived.

"Uhmm... It won't be easy."

"That is why Hell Squad is here. It will be difficult, but we can do it."

"I agree with Dageer. If we can take ten or so men, and get inside Lessu, it will make our lives much easier. However, it will also take time. We have to first go down on this side, then climb the other."

Dageer was nodding when he looked at his belt, and an idea came to his mind. He grinned. His plan had just gotten a lot worse.

"Not necessarily..."

// AUTHOR'S NOTE //

Hey guys! I need your help with something.

I decided to make a new review for the novel, because I realized that it changed a lot, and I also became much better at writing, so I felt is only fair that, after more than 200 chapters, I did a new review.

I will also be deleting my old review in a few days - starting the countdown today - so I doesn't give the impression that I am spamming reviews to get a high rating. I don't need that, because we already have a 4,8 rating, thanks to all of you!

Now that I think about it, it is not actually a review, but I'm sure you get what I'm going for.

Now, the favor. I would really, really, appreciate if you could give my new review a like, so it can get to the top of the page, and let new readers, or potential readers, know that I'm serious about writing it, and also that I'm always trying to improve, for all of you (and also a little for me, because every time I look back to the old chapters, and see how much better the new ones are, I get proud of myself haha).

Well, that is it. As always, thanks for reading, I hope you are enjoying the novel, and may the Force be with us!